WR Q&A With Lester Erb

Jon Miller

10/24/2007

Go back to August and the first day of fall camp: There is no way that Iowa receivers coach Lester Erb could have imagined the challenges that would face him at his position this year. But he and his charges continue to work, one day at a time.

Q: How has this year been on you?

Lester Erb: I kid our guys each day that I am getting more gray hair. It doesn't affect our approach. Even coming into the year, we had hoped that we would have had Andy and Dominique early, but we knew to develop depth, we would have to play some younger guys. They are playing for us now, trying to expedite the process and we are doing that because the most valuable thing you can get is experience, and they are getting that. We are just working to get those guys better each day.

Q: Are the drops a matter of repetitions, as a few of your players were quarterbacks in high school?

Erb: A lot of that comes down to reps, or catching on a consistent basis, to me it comes down to a concentration issue at times. It's something we need to get better at

Q: Do you worry about the younger players and their confidence taking hits?

Erb: With the guys we have out there now? No. Those guys are football players and they are going out there and they don't lack confidence at all.

Q: How much do you dumb down the playbook due to the youth?

Erb: I think the guys that are out there have been in the program for two years. Their knowledge of it, they have to be caught up by now. I think they are. To cut down the playbook, what we are doing each week in the game plan, we are putting in the plays that we feel give us the best chance to win.

Q: If you were told in April that four freshmen receivers would be your starters, would you have believed it?

Erb: It reminds me a little bit of 2003, when we had three true freshmen playing for us against Michigan. I have seen everything now. But to sit here and say, six games into the Big Ten season that we would have three freshmen out there, I would hope we would have more experience, but those guys are improving and doing a good job

Q: What does youth do to a passing game? It seems more timing based and more intricate, what has it done to you?

Erb: The great thing about youth is that these guys have such a great upside. They lacked game experience, and they are getting that now. In any area, when you are putting young players on the field, you will struggle, be it in passing, special teams or in the run game. Until they get that experience and the game slows down for them, there will be inconsistency. I have been happy with the way the guys have been working and playing out there. We have made some mistakes, and they are out there competing.